Working with your financial advisor

Understanding more about your investments will lead to better conversations with your financial advisor and better decisions about your investments.

Here are some questions that you may want to ask your advisor to build your understanding.

To learn about the costs of service:

How much am I paying your firm for the services I receive?

What services are you and your firm providing for the fees I am paying?

How are you paid for your services (salary, commission, or flat fee)? What are the benefits of this approach? Do I have the option of switching to a different method if that is my preference?

To learn about the performance of your investments:

How well did my investments perform?

Am I on track to meet my financial goals? What adjustments should I make for new financial needs that are coming up?

Once a year (beginning in 2017), you will receive two reports. One report outlines how much you paid directly or indirectly in the past year for services that your dealer provided to you. The other report indicates how well your investments performed after costs have been deducted. Have a look at these reports and ask your advisor to explain anything that you don’t understand.